Matthew Cole welcomes a new addition to Dartmoor
We have been struggling with staff all year since one of the lads left and another got injured. We have been making do since the early summer and it has been difficult, as we never seem to catch up.
We have managed to cover with a couple of lads doing odd days part-time, but last week my brother-in-law Graham decided he had had enough of his old job and he would help us out instead. He is not a farmer by trade, but he gets involved and has been an asset since his arrival. I am not sure if he knew what he was letting himself in for working for the “family”, but it is a steep learning curve and I am sure it will work out. I just hope a Dartmoor winter doesn’t put him off too much.
Most of the cattle are now in. They have had a hellish time in the wet and are glad to be dry and indoors. The ewes now have a bit more room, but they would love to have dry feet for more than a couple of hours at a time. They are looking well, but it is going to be a hard winter for them if it doesn’t dry up.
Although 2012 was a great year for brand Great Britain for many reasons, it will stay in our minds for being horribly wet. Let us hope this will not be the pattern for years to come. Roll on 2013 and I look forward to seeing you in the new year.
Mathew Cole farms 728ha on and around Dartmoor with his brother Neil and parents Arnold and Bridget. They keep South Devon and Galloway suckler cows, as well as Scotch and Swale ewes on the hills, with mule lambs bred to sell. They also have pedigree flocks of Bluefaced Leicester and Whiteface Dartmoor ewes.
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